Izzy arrived just in time to witness the emitting. It was a good thing too. With all the research he had done studying the digital world, other digimon, and the Internet, he was able to make Gatomon as comfortable as possible.

"Patamon, get closer. It's better for Gatomon, physically and emotionally, to have you closer." Patamon obeyed and held his mate tight. "Okay, now push." Gatomon strained. "Harder!"

"Easy for you to say." Gatomon groaned through clenched teeth.

"Push!"

TK and Kari looked on, worried. "I feel helpless." Said TK.

"Just let Izzy do his thing." Kari answered.

"But how does he know what to do?"

"He's studied Digimon for years."

"But-"

"He knows what he's doing."

"I just can't do nothing!"

"Get some maple syrup, then!" Izzy yelled urgently.

"Maple syrup? But why-"

"Don't ask questions! Just get it!" TK scurried off.

"Here it comes!" Gatomon yelled. I won't go into details, but let's just say that Gatomon got the egg out with much difficulty, but little pain. When it was out, everyone looked on with awe. The egg was a cream color with light purple stripes. Kari went over and stroked it.

"It's warm." Kari smiled.

"And it needs to stay that way." Izzy wrapped it in soft blankets he had gotten from the linen closet. Gatomon was lying back, worn out.

"Oh, look Gatomon! Look what we did!" Patamon was very excited about the egg.

"What we did? I was the one who just passed a watermelon through my birth canal!"

"I have the maple syrup!" TK ran in breathless. "What was it for?"

"Getting rid of you." Izzy answered. Everyone laughed at TK's confused expression.

"Poor TK." Kari pecked him on the cheek sympathetically.

"Wait," said TK as he saw the egg, "You didn't even wait for me?"

"Well sor-ry! I'll try to hold it off next time." Said Gatomon.

"You're very sarcastic right now, aren't you?" Kari asked her partner.

"Emitting an egg is hard work."

"Did it hurt?"

"Not really."

"Izzy!" Kari whined, "How come giving birth didn't hurt Gatomon, but it's going to hurt me?"

It took a minute for Izzy to answer. He couldn't remember Kari ever whining before.

"Those hormones are really something, huh?" TK whispered to him.

Izzy smiled. "Yeah." Then to Kari he said, "Gatomon didn't actually give birth, she laid a digi-egg. Or, uh, emitted, rather." He quickly corrected himself at the look on Gatomon's face. "Eggs are smaller than babies, so I'd imagine they wouldn't hurt as much."

"No, really." Izzy and Kari turned to see TK on the phone already. "No, really. No, really!" He covered the mouthpiece. "Tai and Matt can't believe it happened already. REALLY!" He shouted to them. "Look, come over and see if you don't believe me. Okay. Okay, bye." He hung up. "They're coming."

"Wow. We haven't gotten them over here that fast since the Pizza Hut truck crashed into the telephone pole in front of our house." Kari went to the kitchen to get something for the boys to eat.

"What now?" TK asked.

"Now we set up a nest for the egg to stay in."

Gatomon glared. "This is a Digi-egg, not a bird egg. It doesn't stay in a nest."

"What does it stay in, then?"

"A rookery." Gatomon looked smug.

"Did you get hold of the thesaurus again?" TK teased. Gatomon glared at him.

"Well, we need to build a rookery. Or rather, Patamon does." Izzy turned.

"Me?" Patamon squeaked.

"Yes. It is your job."

"Who says?"

"Instinct."

"And me." Gatomon said.

"Okay, whatever you say honey." Patamon left.

"Wait! Let me help!" TK ran after him. The doorbell rang. Since Kari was still in the kitchen, Izzy opened the door, revealing the whole gang.

"What are you all doing here?" Izzy said. Kari walked out of the kitchen at about the same time. She sighed and looked sadly at her tray of snacks.

"I'll get more crackers."

"Is this the baby? It's so cute!" Yolei cooed. She, Sora, Mimi, and their Digimon gathered around and coddled the egg.

"Hey! Easy! I don't want my egg scrambled!" Gatomon went to break up the group.

"Okay, so we have an egg. Now what?" Tai turned to Izzy.

"Now we keep it warm until it hatches, of course."

"When will that be?" asked Joe.

"Around the same time as Kari's baby is born."

"We're going to have the egg around for eight months?" Kari came out of the kitchen with a tray of cheese and crackers.

"Yep."

"Okay, we're done!" It was TK and Patamon's turn to emerge into the room.

"You're done with the rookery already?"

"You must never underestimate the power of a father digimon's instinct." Izzy informed them.

"Wait. A rookery? That is hilarious!" Tai laughed.

"Yes, a rookery. For the egg that I emitted. Got a problem, human boy?" Gatomon spat.

Matt chuckled. "Yeah, better watch your back, human boy." Tai pounced on him.

"Aw, look Mimi. Two grown men rolling around on the floor like children. Isn't it cute?" Sora and Mimi snickered at their boyfriends. Matt and Tai continued to scuffle.

"Break it up you two. Don't you want to see the rookery?" Ken asked. Tai laughed again and Gatomon hit him on the back of his head with her paw. The others followed TK to Patamon and Gatomon's room, where a nice rookery of electric blankets and heating lamps had been set up. Patamon and TK smiled modestly as the others examined their handiwork.

"Here." Kari placed the egg in the rookery. "Fits perfectly. Great job guys!"

"Now it just needs one of those little spinny noisy baby thingys." Davis said.

"A mobile, Davis?" Cody suggested.

"Whatever."

"Well, I'd say this is a pretty important day." Joe smiled.

"Yeah, and the next important day is sometime this week." TK pointed out.

"That's when we find out the sex of the baby." Kari explained to her friends' confused looks. "Just a few days…"

Okay, I lied. I said Kari and TK would find out the sex and look at baby names this chapter, but the egg thing took longer than I thought. So I promise, next chapter for sure. Sorry. I'm also sorry that Gatomon was kinda mean this chapter, but give her a break, she just laid an egg. Or, uh, emitted. Anyway, see ya next time.